Classic car as a daily driver

[Flatinfourth]

at the risk of some people yawning(!) don't overlook a seies 2 E Type coupe, no NOT a 2+2! Rock solid drivetrain,very useable and still a huge driver's car. And importantly, doesn't require the investment of an S1.

[smiffy220]

Opel Monza? Big, comfortable, good engine, some creature comforts.

Harder to find maybe, and they are a bit of a marmite car, you either love them or hate them. But I think they look great, I want one!

[Hooli]

Jag XJ, you won't get a nicer daily that you can buy n run (except the fuel) for peanuts.

[elephantstone]

I've just taken the plunge and bought a 1980 MGB GT, I paid towards the higher end of scale for a rubber bumper because it has no rust. Still a few niggles to sort out which have cropped up... Headlight won't work, indicator won't work and the fan won't come on in traffic so it gets hot fast. All things i will have a go at sorting when I get some free time. I should add I have ZERO experience with fixing cars and will be learning as I go along... With the odd phone call to my old man for pointers.

[anonymous-user]

I assume you have already checked all fuses and bulbs. Earths may well be corroded or connections dirty. Check also the little indicator flasher unit (usually looks a bit like a shiny 9 volt battery and lives somewhere under the dash. It's a one minute swap out job and replacement units cost buttons at any motor factor).

Fan - is a thermostat even fitted (people sometimes remove them from some cars). Is it working? (sites online show you how to check this) Is the on/off temp adjustable anywhere? Can you run wiring to a dash switch that you can flick on and off? You have to be careful about the current not blowing out the switch on that rig. You can either do that kind of mod, or the mod that brings the fan on five degrees earlier than normal.

[mikey77]

I commuted from Weymouth to Weston-super-Mare with a Rover P6 V8. Very enjoyable and only let me down once, although - of course - not hugely economical.

[Speedy1995]

If I had to go for an everyday classic.

BMW 325i Convertable
+ Good Looks
+ Still keeps up with today's cars
+ Parts arnt too bad
- stty Roof
- Hard to find a find a good one
- Often chaved up

Volkswagen Beetle
+ Common as muck
+ Parts sent too bad
+ Reliable
- Bad for rust
- Slow
- Expensive for a good one

[droopsnoot]

I think part of the consideration has to be what kind of distances do you intend to do in it*? Dpp seems to be getting on well with his FE Victor as a daily driver. Eighties cars might have stuff like ABS and fuel injection, but in a few cases these are quite early implementations which aren't necessarily as reliable as they once were. There can be a lot to be said for having no complicated stuff.

This topic came up in the pub a few nights ago, people reminiscing about going down to Cornwall (from Cheshire area) on their holidays in an early Mini and about how uncomfortable it must have been. But it wasn't, because that's pretty much what cars were like back then, so no-one was expecting anything more comfortable, quieter, and so on. Before I start using my car for the summer, I wonder how I'm going to put up with the noise, lack of comfort, but once I've done a few miles I'm used to it again and it's no problem.

• ETA - and what kind of trip? Fairly rural small town to small town commute, or busy city stop-start driving, or lots of motorway trips?

Edited by droopsnoot on Friday 25th April 11:40

[Rostfritt]

Snowboy said:

When I was younger my cars weren't really classics, they were just old.

In the summer it's great.
But in the winter it can become a chore.

Screens demist slowly, heaters are poor, no heated seats.
Engines are sluggish from cold.

Some drivers might miss things like ABS and power steering.

It'll depend on whether you have a garage and what the winters are like.

Winter does present issues, you can cope with crap demisting and no heated rear window in the summer, but in winter it takes ages to get anything drivable on a cold morning, especially if the mirrors are also tiny as you just can't see anything around you. Carb icing is another joy, you think your engine is warm and the choke is no longer needed then it conks out at traffic lights.

[anonymous-user]

That isn't always carb icing, and nor is carb icing something that happens only in winter. Carb icing can often occur on warm and humid days. It is not something that happens only because of a low ambient temperature, and is unlikely on a cold and very dry day. Carb ice is caused by the venturi effect within a carburetor when there is sufficient humidity in the atmosphere.

I agree, however, that winter driving in an old car does present challenges. You have to get used to spending several minutes getting the car ready to drive before you can move off. Even when the car has initially demisted keeping it so can be a problem as old cars often have leaks that are hard to find, so get damp inside despite your best efforts to stop this.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 26th April 04:32

[Lawbags]

There is a couple who have just moved in down my road who use a 70's Roller as a daily.
And also a NSX.
Envious much!